Colorado: More than 150 passengers on an American Airlines flight departing from Denver International Airport were evacuated onto the runway after a “possible landing gear incident” left one person injured and sparked a fire, media reports said on Sunday.
According to American Airlines and Denver International Airport, after the Boeing 737 MAX 8 experienced a “maintenance issue” involving an aircraft tire prior to takeoff, emergency personnel at the airport and the Denver Fire Department responded to the issue, and those on board were evacuated on the runway.
The evacuation is the latest in a string of alarming aviation incidents at Denver International Airport – the sixth busiest airport in the world, CNN reported.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, in March, numerous passengers were compelled to stand on the wing of an American Airlines plane while evacuating after one of its engines caught fire. The following month, a United Airlines aircraft struck an animal during takeoff, resulting in a fire.
On Saturday, passengers on the plane, which was departing to Miami International Airport with 173 passengers and six crew members, panicked when they heard a loud bang and saw flames before being evacuated on a slide attached to the plane, the report said.
The combination of blown tires and the deceleration of the plane during braking resulted in a brake fire that was extinguished by the Denver Fire Department, according to American Airlines.
“All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team. We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologise to our customers for their experience,” the airline said.
Five individuals were evacuated at the scene, while another was evaluated at the gate and subsequently taken to hospital with minor injuries, as reported by both the airport and the airline.
The plane had been scheduled to depart from the gate at 1:12 p.m. local time, according to FlightAware, and the incident occurred around 2:45 p.m., the FAA said.
FlightAware data shows 240 flights out of Denver International Airport were delayed as of Saturday evening.
Customers will depart to Miami on a replacement plane later today, according to the airline.